


Love in the Time of Corona

by runtedfiction



Series: Love in the Time of Corona [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Animal Crossing References, Anniversary, F/M, Quarantine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27765325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/runtedfiction/pseuds/runtedfiction
Summary: How an anniversary dinner outside makes it seem like a new normal might be ok.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Love in the Time of Corona [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2028901
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36





	Love in the Time of Corona

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to @countthemoons and @amysantiugo for requesting more quarantine fic! that's the reason i wrote this :")

In the midst of the worst COVID-19 spike the country’s seen, it seems like there’s little to be happy for. Winter means the sun sets early, the Internet is a horrible substitute for in-person interaction, and remote work begins to feel monotonous. 

Love in the time of Corona solidifies how good it is to have a partner, a roommate, really  _ anyone _ by your side, and as their four year anniversary looms on the horizon, Zuko and Katara are constantly reminded of this. 

Zuko watches Azula move in with Mai and Ty Lee (she doesn’t say so, but Zuko suspects she’s lonely enough to make up with her friends and want their company again), and Katara listens to Aang talk about isolating himself from Mr. Gyatzo. Sitting in one small room, receiving meals at his door, never going outside--it all sounds horrible to her. But Katara knows if there’s anyone who can take on the end of the world with a cheerful attitude, it’s Aang. 

“Jesus Christ,” Zuko says on night after hearing her talk about Aang’s isolation. He’s currently redecorating her  _ Animal Crossing _ house; apparently the mermaid furniture is ugly and tacky. (She thinks it’s stupid, but will admit the minimal wood set looks nice as well.) “So he doesn’t even go outside? Doesn’t leave his room even when Mr. Gyatzo is sleeping?”

“No. Since Aang just got back,” Katara explains, closing her book and putting it on the nightstand, “they’re being as careful as they can until his test results come back. Even then, he might just do the full fourteen days alone. Things are getting worse in their area.”

“Yeah, makes sense. We’re lucky to have it ok here.”

She places her head on his shoulder, and wraps her arm across his chest. “I know. Also I hate that table, don’t put that in my dining room.”

Zuko laughs.

A comfortable silence passes, broken only by Zuko tutting at her existing furniture choices (“When I recommended you put the candles in the dining room, I  _ knew _ you would arrange them like this, but I’m telling you this way looks better.”) and Katara taking great offense at his comments. 

“Hey,” he says after he finishes making the living room look “mid-century modern,” or whatever that means. There’s a hesitant tone to his voice, and Katara lifts her head off his shoulder to look at him. 

“Hmm?”

“Since our anniversary is soon, do you want to do anything?”

“Oh,” she says. “Hm. Like go somewhere? It’s on a Wednesday right?”

“Yup.”

“Hm.” A day trip isn’t feasible since Zuko’s got some tight deadlines at the end of the month, and they try to order nice takeout once a week anyway. “Unless we want to take a day off, what if we try outdoor dining instead of nice takeout?”

“Yeah, that sounds good to me,” Zuko agrees. He’s placing Monsteras all over the place now, which Katara thinks reflects his real life houseplant kick. It’s a bit overkill. “There’s an outdoor rooftop bar near us that has nice drinks and small plates--the Baijiu Dragon. What about that? We can look before we decide.”

“Ooooh, that sounds really fun,” Katara says. “Maybe I’ll get to look nice for the first time in ages.”

He kisses the top of her head. “You always look nice.”

She snuggles closer. “Coming from the only person I know who consistently wears jeans during quarantine, it’s really nice of you to say that.”

They eventually turn off the lights, and Katara does that thing she knows Zuko hates where she asks him questions until he falls asleep. But it makes her feel nice to know he’s next to her and listening, and she always stops when he makes a quip about how she doesn’t leave him be.

“Ok, so,” she whispers, her nose nearly touching his. “Do you think the brownies I made tonight tasted good?”

He lifts open an eye. “Yes.”

“Do you think they were better than that shitty box brownie mix you buy all the time?”

He stays silent.

“Hey!” she protests, and flicks his ear. “Don’t be mean.”

A beat passes, and she’s thinking of another silly question when for the first time in a while, 

Zuko asks  _ her _ a question. “Are you a candle person?”

“Oh,” she says. “Not particularly, but I think I could be?”

“Hmm. Then it’s interesting that you’d put so many in your dining room. It looked gaudy.”

She pouts. “I told you to not be mean! Hey, what’s your biggest pet peeve?”

Zuko sighs, and places an arm on top of her. “People who don’t let me sleep.”

* * *

A couple days later at lunch, Katara presents her case for the restaurant. They’re eating last night’s leftovers, kimchi udon, and catching up on an episode of  _ Bake Off _ .

“Ok, so,” she starts, and places her feet under Zuko’s legs where she knows they’ll warm up. “I think the Baijiu Dragon is safe to go to, and we should make a reservation for next week. I was looking into it during work, and--”

“Slow day?”

“Shut up. So I was looking, and they’re placing the tables more than six feet apart. Everything is outdoors, you look at the menu on your phone, everyone wears masks whenever possible, you know. There are heaters too, and Suki and Sokka drove up to eat there last month. It’s only a twenty minute walk from us.”

“Sounds good to me,” he says. “You wanna make a reservation now?”

“Will do.” Katara pulls up her phone, and it’s done in a minute. “Wednesday 5:30. Hey, haha, remember our first anniversary dinner? Maybe this time you’ll get carded if you order a drink too.”

“Ugh,” he groans. “Look, every place has to card--it’s the law! And you weren’t even old enough to drink at the time! You had to order juice!”

Katara just laughs, and moves up from the couch to put their bowls in the sink.

* * *

The day of their anniversary, she does that sneaky thing where she starts work early so she can leave early. And that extra hour and a half buys her time to really get ready for the first time in ages. A shower, skincare session--even time for exfoliating!--, and outfit deliberation later, and they’re on their way. 

Zuko cleans up nicely too, with his fancy Japanese jeans and the slightly floral cologne she likes so much. The last time they went out like this was literally three hundred days ago, and putting on her ankle boots is such a foreign feeling she knows her toes are going to have blisters.

“Nice jeans,” she says, and he holds out his hand for her. “You have the keys right?”

“Yup.”

The walk to the restaurant, and the city is surprisingly cosy on a Wednesday night. Little boutique shops are allowing a few customers in at a time, and outdoor dining has completely taken over the streets. There’s a street that’s completely roped off, just reserved for dining and pedestrians, and for the first time in three hundred days, things feel like they’ll be ok. If there’s still Christmas lights winding the trees, if people are still ambling about (and nearly everyone is wearing a mask, thank God), maybe in a year or two things will be ok again.

When they arrive at the restaurant, it’s sandwiched between an old theater and a nightclub. They’re old haunts that have been forced to adapt or just shut down--last Katara heard, the club was selling alcoholic boba to get by, and the theater was relying on gift cards and selling things in its warehouse. But the restaurant seems to be doing ok, with multiple people checking in for reservations. Only one group is let in the building at a time, and they wait a bit before they’re allowed to climb the six flights of stairs that get them to the top. 

And when they do get the top—

“Holy  _ shit _ , look at this view,” she breathes. 

The city lights glitter, and Katara knows she’s never going to get tired of this skyline. Even if cities can be cold concrete jungles, the past few months have shown her how much she misses the rush of her commute to work, the barista who knows she likes her matcha lattes with oat milk, the joy of strangers meeting each other’s dogs. It’s nice to see everything like this, to see people eating at this restaurant, even if everything is different.

“Ok, so,” Zuko says as they sit down. “I got you something.”

“You got me something?” she asks, eyes wide. “Wait I thought--I thought we promised no gifts?”

He shrugs. “Well initially I didn’t want to get you anything, but then I thought life’s too short. So here you go.”

She opens it, still surprised. “Aww, a candle?”

“Sea salt and magnolia,” he says. “Kind of close to my cologne, in that floral subtle way.”

“Thanks,” she says. “Wait, I didn’t notice it on the walk over here?”

“Hid it in my coat,” he says. “A real bitch to keep it concealed. There’s a card waiting for you at home, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Katara says, laughing, and places a hand over her heart. “There’s a card waiting for you at home too. That’s really nice of you, Zuko.”

He smiles, and she turns on her singsongy voice that she uses to say cheesy things she means. “I love you.”

“Love you.”

The rest of the night is lovely. They order drinks--a lychee liqueur martini for her, a green dragon for him--and small plates. 

“Mmm,” Katara says after a bite into a pork belly taco. “I feel like this food tastes that much better because we’re at a restaurant.”

“I dreamt a lot about restaurants in the beginning of everything,” Zuko says. His cheeks are pink, and Katara suspects it’s because quarantine has turned his alcohol tolerance to shit. 

“Yeah,” she says. “But also, speaking of beginnings.”   
  
“Hm?”

“How do you think we’ve changed since the beginning of our relationship?”

“Hmm.” Zuko takes another sip of his drink, and Katara subtly pushes water towards him. “I think I’ve become more confident?”

“I think so too,” she says. “When I met you freshman year, you were standoffish and bland.”

“Hey!” Zuko objects, and she laughs. “Well you were off-putting and a bit much.”

“Ok, but four years ago you told me you  _ liiiiiiiked _ me.”

Four years ago, when he met her outside her apartment and told her that he had feelings--it’s a moment she wants to relieve over and over. Even if the night before she had too much to drink (and ended up sleeping for a bit in Zuko’s lap, with photos for proof), and even if she probably looked like shit when she walked to the gate, that just made the feeling of disbelief melting into joy that much better.

His eyes are soft. “Worst mistake of my life.”

She smiles, and steals food off his plate. “I agree.”

“Thanks. For what it’s worth, I think you’ve mellowed out a bit since that time,” Zuko says, adding “in a good way” when he sees the look on her face. “Like senior year, when you took all those classes and did all that club stuff--it was a lot. It’s nice to see you more relaxed. I used to be the one who really liked sleeping in, and now I think it’s you.”

“Oh man, when we used to sleep in those twin beds crammed together!”

“Yeah,” Zuko laughs. “And you’d have to sleep literally wrapped around me so we’d have space.”

“We’ve definitely upgraded.”

He raises his glass, and clinks it to hers. “From twins to queens.”

They spend the rest of the night reminiscing about the past few years and wistfully dreaming about the future. Four years ago, Katara had never watched anime and Zuko’s cardio was pitiful--now they’re looking forward to season four of  _ Attack on Titan _ together, and they ran a 5k together last weekend. At the end of college, they did a monthlong tour of Asia--maybe when things are ok, Europe is next. Their very first date was horrendously awkward; they both agree this one is going much better. 

So in the midst of the worst COVID-19 spike the country’s seen, maybe there’s little to be happy for, but there’s lots to be grateful for. Winter means the sun sets early, so evening snuggles can start early. Even if the Internet doesn’t match in-person interaction, weekly Zoom calls with friends keep friendships alive. And remote work is a privilege, and one that lets Katara take big naps in the middle of the day.

And finally, above all, there’s she can someone experience this confusing, horrible, overwhelming, seemingly unending time with. Someone who’s made her laugh, cooked her food just spicy enough to build her tolerance, and held her tight for the past four years.

“Happy anniversary,” Zuko says, and squeezes her hand over the table. "My life is better with you in it."

She squeezes his hand back. “Happy anniversary.”


End file.
